Green Zone League Articles

1.11 - CB Adoree JacksonThe 49ers pick for the first of two times in three picks here at the number eleven spot, and I think this one shouldn't be too hard for them. They've got a good front seven and safety tandem on defense, but they don't have anyone I would even consider to be a starting nickel CB in this league. In steps Adoree Jackson. While he doesn't have the elite length GMs across the league covet in their defensive backs, he can do just about everything else. With elite athleticism, strength, hands, and football IQ, Jackson will be the clear-cut number one starter for the 49ers the minute this pick is handed in. The other good news? While Jackson could surely benefit from some work on his athleticism in the off-sesaon, he really doesn't need it, which would allow San Fransisco to concentrate their efforts elsewhere and perhaps beef up a mid-round player. I think this one is a no brainer for the '9ers and a match made in heaven.

1.12 - HB Dalvin CookThe Buccs certainly don't have a lot of holes on their roster, but they did happen to just trade away their star RB in Todd Gurley. Has AF moved on to a committee, or is he simply just playing the market? I'm willing to bet the latter. With the pick of Cook here AF will have successfully swapped a back with a few years of tread on him for a brand new shiny, unopened, better back in Dalvin Cook. While he doesn't have quite the same imposing build or second gear (yet) as Gurley, Cook does just about everything else better, from strength to agility to acceleratoin. With some TLC put into the speed department Cook has the ability to max out out at 94 SPD/77 STR/92 AGI/96 ACC, compared to the 93 SPD/74 STR/89 AGI/91 ACC Gurley brought to the table. Get him up to 80 STR and he could be one of the best in the league. This pick is the classic HB dump-off at its finest.

1.13 - OL Quentin NelsonThe 49ers find themselves back on the clock again, and this time I don't see an obvious pick like Jackson sitting on the board. While CB remains a major need for the '9ers, the talent level has dropped off a bit at the position while there's a lot of talent remaining in the trenches. I think San Fran goes BPA here and lands an elite OT to protect Geno Smith. While it's up for debate as to who is better between OT Cam Robinson and OG Quentin Nelson, I'm going to give the nod to Nelson here for a couple of different reasons. First of all I think he has the higher ceiling of the two players, and, secondly, I actually think him coming out as a guard could play in the 49ers favor here. Darell Freeman has actually done an OK job for the team at RT, and while he's nowhere near the talent that Nelson is, he would be able to hold down the fort for another year or two while Nelson could enjoy some smooth sailing at LG and pad his stats for progression purposes. After he's amassed some more AWR the team can slide him over to RT for a seamless transition. It's not a sexy pick, but I think it will pay big dividends for their offense.

1.14 - MLB Zach CunninghamFrom where I'm standing this pick has set up just about perfectly for the Baltimore Ravens. They have two stars at the key positions MLB and RT fading into the twilight of their career, and the best players on the board happen to play those same positions. So not only is the need/value fit perfect, but they also have options. MLB is probably the more immediate need, as Manti Teo has already regressed, but Oher is due for regression as well and also has a very large expiring contract. At MLB both Rueben Foster and Zach Cunningham are on the board, while Cam Robinson remains at OT as well. This is a tough one to pick, because all three are equally great selections here, and it's really going to come down to a simple matter of preference. In the end, I think Zach Cunningham gets the call here despite Rueben Foster being in almost the exact mold of the aging Teo. He simply has too much potential with some SPD/ACC work in training camp, and he probably would have come off the board sooner if there was a a better fit for him. Cunningham will give the Ravens one of the best linebacker trios in all of the GZL and allow them to continue playing their smash mouth brand of football at an elite level.

1.15 - OT Cam RobinsonThe Cardinals need a lot of help across the board, but a couple positions that stand out are cornerback and offensive tackle. While there's no doubt that upgrading their secondary needs to be a priority for them, I think the smarter move here would be to end Cam Robinson's free fall and lock him in as their RT of the future. The Cardinals found a pretty good steal in Thomas Fernandez a couple of drafts ago, but he's simply not the answer at RT. Cam Robinson is arguably the most GZL-ready OT in this class and he should be an instant plug and play for the Cardinals to give their new quarterback Marcus Mariota some more time in the pocket. Look for the Cardinals to address their secondary deficiencies in the second round where I think there will still be some good talent available.